The One And Only Ivan

Ivan is a silverback gorilla who lives at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall. Ivan is used having humans visit him and rarely thinks about his former home in the jungle. Generally Ivan is content to sit in his domain, talk to his friends Stella the elephant and Bob the dog, watch television, and - best of all - create art with crayons and paper.

Things change, however, when business at the mall slows and visitors become few and far between. To bring in more business a baby elephant named Ruby is added to the mall's menagerie. Ruby is frightened. She misses her home in the jungle and her family. Suddenly Iven is forced to look at her situation - and his own - through new eyes. Finally Ivan has someone to protect, someone who needs a mighty silverback gorilla to provide for her. But what can Ivan do to change Ruby's situation when he is stuck in a cage?

There is so much to appreciate about this novel. First of all, The One and Only Ivan is a stunning, inspiring book full of emotional power. Author Katherine Applegate did a great job giving Ivan his own voice, using brief paragraphs and efficient, poetic languate to pull readers into Ivan's story. This style of writing really makes this book a page-turner. It's just beautifully written.

In many ways the writing reminds me of Kathi Appelet's 2009 Newbery Honor winner The Underneath with one important difference: I found The Underneath incredibly depressing. I love the fact that even though The One and Only Ivan gets into some serious issues regarding animal rights and captivity and even though parts of this book are sad (I'll admit that I teared up a few times), the story never becomes bogged down in sadness. There are plenty of hopeful, inspiring moments too and lots of well-developed character to love, and I truly feel that this tone makes The One and Only Ivan much more accessible to readers.

Overall Grade: A



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